NFL Rookies Turning in Prime Performances This Season

When the draft rolls around in April every year, NFL fans are always in a hopeful mood.

They want to believe that their teams have done their homework and will unearth the game's next superstar. They are hoping for a quarterback like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning who can carry their team for more than a decade, a game-changing receiver like Randy Moss or a dominant defensive player like Darrelle Revis who can change the defensive game plan.

The 2015 draft does not appear to have unearthed such a superstar. The top player selected in the draft was Jameis Winston, and while the former Heisman Trophy winner from Florida State was good enough to win the starting quarterback position for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he has made too many mistakes and seems to take one or two steps backward every time he takes a step forward.

No. 2 selection Marcus Mariota had plenty of skeptics when the Tennessee Titans selected him because he was a "system" quarterback at Oregon, but he has been quite consistent through the early part of his rookie season.

He has turned in a prime performance so far this season. In this piece, we look at Mariota and the other rookies who are already making solid contributions and have the ability to turn into legitimate NFL stars.

QB Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans

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Draft choice: First round, No. 2 

Key stats: 61-of-97, 833 yards, eight TDs, two interceptions 

Marcus Mariota looked sharp from his first practices in the offseason and throughout training camp, with NFL.com's Ian Rapoport one of many to praise the rookie's performance.

When the Titans drafted him, every scouting report indicated they were selecting a mature and responsible individual who would do everything in his power to prepare the correct way for the regular season.

Nothing Mariota has done since Roger Goodell called his name at the podium last April indicates the Titans made anything but a winning choice. Mariota is smart, athletic, hardworking and he does everything he can to help his team improve on every play.

It's a long journey to become a dominant NFL quarterback, but Mariota has done a superb job in the early going. He has already been named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Month for September, and he is on track to win more honors as the season progresses.

RB Karlos Williams, Buffalo Bills

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Draft choice: Fifth round, No. 155 

Key stats: 42 carries for 226 yards and three TDs, 5.4 yards per carry

The Buffalo Bills thought they had the running back position shored up and secured for the foreseeable future when they acquired versatile LeSean McCoy in the offseason.

The former Philadelphia Eagle was not only one of the most dangerous and consistent ball-carriers in the league, he was also a first-rate receiver. While the Bills still have high hopes about McCoy, he has been slowed by nagging injuries since training camp, and he has not been able to show head coach Rex Ryan what he is capable of doing.

However, the Bills are not hurting at the running back position. They drafted Karlos Williams out of Florida State in the fifth round, and he has given them a sensational return for their investment.

Williams, a 6'1", 225-pound bruiser, has taken over the running chores and given the Bills a credible ground game. He was at his best in Week 3 at Miami when he creased the Dolphins for 110 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Williams has scored a touchdown in all four games the Bills have played this season.

McCoy will almost certainly get healthy and take over the No. 1 spot in the Bills' backfield. However, the Bills have already gotten plenty from Williams, and he will remain in Ryan's game plan.

WR Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders

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Draft choice: First round, No. 4 

Key stats: 24 receptions for 339 yards and two touchdowns

High expectations mean intense pressure. Amari Cooper's reaction to expectations and pressure has been simply exemplary. He could care less about what others think or say about him. All he wants to do is play football and have a chance to make big plays for the Oakland Raiders.

"Personally, I really don't feel like I've done much yet," Cooper said during an appearance on the NFL Network' NFL Total Access Sept. 29 (h/t Mark Inabinett of Al.com) "I guess that's a way I can stay humble. I don't really feel like I've done much."

The Raiders suffered a narrow defeat to the Chicago Bears in Week 4, but they are off to a surprising 2-2 start and appear to be improving. One of the biggest reasons for this is Cooper's emergence at the wide receiver position, and he's coming along at the same time quarterback Derek Carr and running back Latavius Murray are starting to develop.

Opposing defenses can't simply focus on one of those players, and it appears the Raiders have a group of young "triplets" who can help make them respectable in the AFC West.

Cooper may be the best of that group. He has the speed to get deep, excellent route-running skills and the hands and timing to make acrobatic catches.

He is on his way to becoming one of the game's better receivers.

KR-PR Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks

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Draft choice: Third round, No. 69 

Key stats: Nine kickoff returns for 270 yards and one TD; 12 punt returns for 136 yards and one TD

Tyler Lockett has come into the NFL with a bang. He returned a punt for a touchdown in his first game against the St. Louis Rams, and then he returned a kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown in the Seattle Seahawks' Week 3 game against the Chicago Bears.

Lockett demonstrated his eye-catching speed in training camp, as reported by Stephen Cohen of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, but it's not always a given that a breakaway return specialist can take the gift of speed and have it translate into big plays. Devin Hester was one of those players when the Chicago Bears drafted him in 2006, and it looks like the Seahawks have the same kind of player in Lockett.

He has shown the instincts and timing to take advantage of his speed, and he should be an excellent weapon for the Seahawks' special teams throughout the rest of the 2015 season and potentially for years to come.

DE Vic Beasley, Atlanta Falcons

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Draft choice: First round, No. 8 

Key stats: 11 tackles, 2.0 sacks

Few teams needed more help with their defense than the Atlanta Falcons. While injuries had slowed down their offense the past two years, it was their defense that was getting overwhelmed regularly and had been the primary reason the Falcons suffered through the 2013 and 2014 losing seasons.

Head coach Mike Smith was fired at the end of last season, and the Falcons brought in former Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to reshape the team and help turn the defense around.

One of the first moves the Falcons made in the offseason was adding a big-time pass-rusher to the mix in the draft. They went after Clemson pass-rusher Vic Beasley, and he recorded sacks in back-to-back games against the Giants and Cowboys in Weeks 2 and 3, respectively.

Beasley has explosive speed, and he could turn out to be the trigger the Falcons need that allows their defense to play much more effectively from this point forward.

LB Shaq Thompson, Carolina Panthers

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Draft choice: First round, No. 15 

Key stats: 16 tackles, 1.0 sack

If there's one area that Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera knows better than any other on the football field, it's the linebacker position.

He was a backup linebacker on the 1985 Chicago Bears, and that marauding unit may have been the best defensive team the game has ever seen. 

Rivera has gone on to have a fine career at the position, earning his coaching bones on the defensive side of the ball. Rivera did not like what he saw last year from his Panthers, and he wanted help at the linebacker position, and the Panthers obliged him by drafting Shaq Thompson in the first round last spring.

Thompson has started his first four games, and he is playing a key role on a defense that ranks 10th in the league. Thompson has shown the ability to get around the corner and pressure the quarterback. He has also done a solid job tackling.

Don't call him a superstar, but he is a vital contributor who is playing well early in his rookie year.

RB Todd Gurley, St. Louis Rams

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Draft choice: First round, No. 10 

Key stats: 25 carries for 155 yards, 6.2 ypc

There were a lot of eyebrows raised when the Rams selected Todd Gurley with the No. 10 choice last spring because he was coming off an ACL injury that was going to impact his preparation for the 2015 season.

While Gurley had been a talented and explosive running back at Georgia, why use such a high pick on a player who was not healthy at a position that does not have a long shelf life?

The answer to that question is easy. Gurley has exceptional ability. He has only played two games, and he looked tentative when he gained nine yards on six carries in Week 3 at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, he was a completely different player in Week 4 at Arizona.

Gurley was sensational against the Cardinals, with 146 rushing yards on 19 carries. In addition to his speed and power, Gurley showed his football IQ by staying inbounds and going to the ground after picking up two vital first downs late in the fourth quarter that helped the Rams secure victory.

It may be a bit of a gamble to put Gurley on this list after just one good game, but it is one that should be taken. He appears to have superstar ability. It's just a matter of staying healthy and remaining in the lineup.